Our view: Revised 'Don't Say Gay' bill is as pointless as the original

OUR VIEW

There is a new definition of "compromise legislation" in the Tennessee General Assembly.

It consists of taking a struggling piece of legislation that is unnecessary, inappropriate and which intentionally or unintentionally infringes on people's rights, and slap on an amendment that basically says, "we can do this terrible thing that the bill sets out to do, by reducing people to caricatures."

The bill in this case is the Classroom Protection Act, which most people know by its more appropriate nickname, "Don't Say Gay."

Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, just can't quite get this detested piece of legislation to pass, but like a dog with a bone, just won't let it go. Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, is helping him by adding an amendment that he thinks will enable Don't Say Gay to withstand challenges - such as free-speech violations.

School guidance counselors, teachers and principals, says Ragan, "are licensed, hired and paid to be counseling on academic and career education" - period. Campfield's original bill would not let these educators advise students who came to them for advice about sexuality or sexual orientation; at least, not without then violating the student's trust by going to their parents.

As amended, educators would have to give students a referral for psychiatric care if they want to discuss lifestyle issues. And if an educator then goes ahead and has the conversation with the student, the educator would assume all the legal risk.

If Ragan thinks that intimidating school personnel by suggesting they could be professionally and financially ruined by advising their students is not abridging, well, perhaps he just doesn't understand the First Amendment.

A threat is a threat, whether it comes from lawmakers or school districts or parents and lawyers.

One has to wonder how Campfield and Ragan came to this pass. They seem to have concocted legislation that would prevent demons from their own imagination - evil teachers and guidance counselors, warping the minds of children.

As for the children themselves, they truly could end up in a bad place, psychologically, if they are unable to go to a trustworthy adult to talk about personal feelings. The legislators don't seem to care about real kids and their problems.

Which brings us to the real problem: Why are these social-engineer wannabes butting into confidential conversations? They say teachers should stick to teaching - how about lawmakers sticking to taxes and governing?

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Our view: Revised 'Don't Say Gay' bill is as pointless as the original

There is a new definition of 'compromise legislation' in the Tennessee General Assembly.